RevPro headed to London for their first show in 2025 with a card that is already in the running for the best show of the year so far.
The company ended 2024 with a fantastic showing at RevPro Uprising in December. The show saw an insane 60-minute Iron Man match between Zozaya and Leon Slater before Michael Oku defeated Luke Jacobs to regain the Undisputed British Heavyweight Championship.
Huge stars like 1 Called Manders, Luke Jacobs and Robbie X had matches on the card, although the main focus was on Zoe Lucas. She wrestled her first match in over two years on the card, following her getting physical at RevPro Uprising.
The next RevPro show in Live In Southampton 34, which you can see our preview of here.
Robbie X vs Kuro
Bullet Club’s Robbie X battled French wrestler Kuro in the opening match of RevPro Live in London 92. As it was a Robbie X match, it was obviously a great match that you will not want to miss.
As somebody who has never seen Kuro before, I was pleasantly surprised. He kept up with the Englishman in the ring, although his lack of experience was clear next to Robbie X.
Despite that, he performed well, selling very effectively and bumping around like nobody’s business – a massive cutter looking like he spiked himself on his head somehow only getting a two count.
Kuro almost got the win with a Kiss of Hype, which the crowd would have been very shocked over. Robbie X predictably got the win with a running kick, but it was the debuting Kuro who got a standing ovation from the packed crowd in London after the match.
Chants of “Please come back!” were a lovely touch. I feel we may see more of Kuro in the near future, as French wrestling seems in good hands.
Winner: Robbie X via pin fall.
Star Rating: 3 Stars
Following the match, David Francisco made his way to the ring. The commentators announced he was the new number-one contender for the Undisputed British Heavyweight Championship and will challenge Michael Oku for the belt next week.
He called Michael Oku the “most selfish” person in RevPro, claiming he was handed all his opportunities in the promotion. Francisco also insulted Ricky Knight Jr, who interrupted his promo as he did to Michael Oku at Uprising when he attacked him following his match with Luke Jacobs.
He said he’d give RKJ the first title shot if he beats Oku next week at Live In Southampton 34. Knight Jr quickly called him a “pussy” but said he had a point. He spoke about Michael Oku not being here tonight, claiming he has turned his back on RevPro and Ricky Knight Jr.
The former Undisputed British Heavyweight Champion attacked him at Uprising because of this. He supported him the entire time and never got any love back from him. He proclaimed that he wanted to be the heart and soul of British wrestling in what seems to be a face turn for the young star.
This promo continued when Amira, the valet for Michale Oku interrupted and slapped Ricky Knight Jr. He pushed her back, this face turn seeming short-lived before JJ Gale ran in to attack him himself.
This segment did go a while and involved three different people interrupting. It did get RKJ over as a good opponent for Michael Oku and set up a match with JJ Gale going forward. JJ Gale then cut a fairly generic promo about being the heart of RevPro, quite similar to what RKJ said.
LA Taylor vs Kanji
In a rematch from her last match in RevPro, LA Taylor returns to the company to face off with Kanji.
Kanji is coming off a victory over Serena Deeb at RevPro Uprising, so she’ll want to win this match to be in the conversation to face Mercedes Mone for the Undisputed British Women’s Championship in the near future.
However, it wouldn’t be easy for her. LA Taylor used her immense power and size to dominate Kanji, blocking any attempt to get her onto the ground to lock in her submissions. It took a series of kicks and flying moves to finally get the high ground on her opponent from Cornwall.
The Demolition Woman hit a brutal-looking swinging Full Nelson Bomb which would be a brilliant finishing move, but only yielded a two count. She even caught Kanji after a trio of suicide dives, but the Nottingham-based wrestler turned it into a sloppy-looking DDT – mainly because LA Taylor dropped her.
There were a few botches in this match which seemed to mainly be from LA Taylor struggling to lift Kanji at times. Given her arsenal of mainly hard-hitting strikes and kicks, Kanji had no issue getting some effective offence on her opponent.
It was a great match that built well towards the end. It was back-and-forth until Kanji locked in a combination of different holds, smartly countering LA Taylor’s counters and forcing her to tap out to a Zack Sabre Jr-style contraption.
With the win, Kanji moves a step closer to a match against Mercedes Mone in the future.
Winner: Kanji via submission
Star Rating: 3 Stars
Leon Cage vs Leon Slater
Ready to feel old? These two have a combined age of 37. Leon Cage and Leon Slater are the future of wrestling in Britain and the US and at 17 and 20, respectively, are two of the best wrestlers in the world regardless of age.
The match started off tentative before Leon Slater catapulted Leon Cage across the ring with one of the most aggressive bodyslams you’ll ever see. That certainly set the tone for the match, which would no longer be a friendly affair between two high-flyers.
From that point it it was a non-stop thrill ride, with Slater realising he may have underestimated his younger opponent. He quickly realised that he needed to sort him out, so a disgusting bucklebomb got a close two count.
Slater keeps adding new moves to his arsenal, taking clear inspiration from his TNA peer Frankie Kazarian. He used the ring rope cutter (or whatever it was called) in impressive fashion as he continued to get the best of his younger opponent.
If I had to succinctly describe this match, it was two men continuously running the ropes, dodging everything and kicking each other hard in the face. If you think that sounds awesome then yes, you are correct!
Leon Slater worked on Leon Cage’s leg the whole match. At one point, he simply threw him into the air so he would land on his knee and send him crashing. It was a great spot and one I’ve not seen before in wrestling.
The scariest spot was Leon Cage doing a moonsault off the turnbuckle onto Leon Cage on the floor. For me, it was too risky but he managed to hit it perfectly and Leon Slater caught him very carefully, turning the tide of the match. Some brutal stomps onto Slater’s knees made me wonder how this match wasn’t just a shoot fight at this point, yet it continued with both men struggling on their feet.
Leon Slater, apparently offended at Leon Cage’s moxie, hit two leg lariats, a twisting brainbuster, a blue thunder bomb and a Swanton 450 splash to finally put away Luke Cage.
This match was slightly long for my liking but with both men involved putting everything on the line, this will go down as a classic match that will be revised for years to come and will likely build into a world title fight some years down the line.
Winner: Leon Slater via pinfall.
Star Rating: 3.5 Stars
After the match, Leon Slater grabbed a microphone and called Cage “the future”, while he is “the now”. He then teased a match against Michael Oku for the British Undisputed Heavyweight Championship.
Stephen Wolf vs Will Kraven
Following the interval we had the return of Stephen Wolf for the first time in years. He is a former Cruiserweight Champion in RevPro and faced off with the current champion in a non-title encounter.
Wolf was impressive in his first UK match in a year. He used his speed and cunning to outsmart Kaven, with his high-flying moves wowing the English crowd.
Will Kaven predictably cheated to back on top and his huge strikes looked absolutely brutal. He received a heckle from the crowd which set him off as he hit more and more violent moves on the returning Wolf.
This match was a bit slower than the previous one and I wasn’t overly engaged during it. I’m still struggling with Will Kraven, as he does everything right but I just don’t find his matches overly compelling.
Kaven tried to use the title belt to hit Stephen Wolf, but ate a Vertigo and a three count for his troubles. This will certainly lead to a title match in the near future.
Winner: Stephen Wolf via pinfall
Rating: 2 Stars
Following the match, Robbie X attacked Stephen Wolf and grabbed the Undisputed British Cruiserweight Championship for himself. Personally, I think he should be in the Heavyweight title mix, but Wolf vs X would be a great match.
Iver Navarro vs 1 Called Manders
Two foreign stars did battle in this match which was a much different bout to the others. Both men treated it like a sporting contest and gave it their all in what Big E would call “big meaty men slapping meat”.
1 Called Manders was beloved by the crowd, although they soon came around to Iker Navarro. They both traded chops for 90% of the match in what felt more like a classic AJPW match than a British one.
Between the chops were some big suplexes and fantastic work to keep the crowd excited throughout. Big spears and basically just running into each other proved great entertainment in this battle of the big boys.
It was a great match. Both these guys would be incredible in Japan, but Manders especially is like a Stan Hansen regen with better eyesight. He won the match with a big Lariat, pinning Iker Navarro much to the delight of the London crowd.
Winner: 1 Called Manders
Rating: 3 Stars
Barcelona Blacklist vs Young Guns
The Spain/England connection continues as the Barcelona Blacklist faces off with the Young Guns.
Joey Torres and Sito Sanchez look to build on their performance in the Trios Grand Prix, but have to contend with an irate Luke Jacons and Ethan Allen. Jacobs wasn’t thrilled about losing the British Heavyweight belt at Uprising and immediately attacked the Spanish duo before the bell rang.
The Blacklsit soon got back on top and hit some fun combinations on Ethan Allen and suicide dives on both their opponents. However, Jacobs quickly began to dominate, looking more dangerous than he had been as the promotion’s champion in 2024.
After a prolonged beatdown, Sito Sanchez got the hot tag and took out both Jacobs and Ethan Allen. He did well but ate some big moves from Allen, including an Allen Slam. The BB came close with a double stomp/Death Valley Driver but failed to get the three count.
Once Luke Jacobs got back in the ring, everything changed. A buzzsaw kick/lariat combination looked like it killed Joey Torres but he somehow kicked out.
Sito Sanches somehow kicked out of a Doomsday Device, much to the chagrin of Luke Jacobs. The crowd was firmly against the Young Guns and for the Spaniard, although that wasn’t enough to save them in this match.
A PK/Piledriver combination ended the match, handing the Young Guns the win. Luke Jacobs looks like a monster and I can’t imagine he’s done with Michael Oku based on this performance.
Winner: Young Guns via pinfall.
Rating: 3.5 Stars
After the match, Luke Jacobs made it clear he wants to win the tag team titles with Ethan Allen.
Zoe Lucas vs Safire Reed
Before the main event, a short video package for Zoe Lucas plays where she says she “chooses to be happy” in her return to wrestling.
She was attacked at RevPro Uprising by the Cut Throat Collective, so is facing off with Safire Reed, the group’s representative. Reed received some decent boos in her entrance, but the pop was Zoe Lucas’ first match years got her a massive pop.
The former Undisputed British Women’s Champion and Queen of the Ring was the firm favourite, especially given the situation surrounding her brief retirement from wrestling. The fans welcomed her back with open arms and cheered her on throughout the bout.
This match was really what it needed to be – a showcase for Lucas to help shake off the ring rust and remind the fans how good she is. She didn’t look like she missed a step and looked right at home in the RevPro ring, both in attack and in her selling and bumping.
You could tell as the match went on she tired easier, which is expected given the circumstances. She stole the win with an Undertaker-style situp and a roll-up on Reed, as the 299 exploded with joy to see Zoe Lucas winning her comeback match in wrestling.
Winner: Zoe Lucas via pinfall.
Rating: 2.5 Stars
Overall, this was a great show to kick off the year. I would have loved to see stars like Michael Oku and Zozaya taking part, but lots of stories were furthered and new wrestlers were introduced to the London crowd.
The next show is RevPro Live In Southampton, which you can read about here.
